4202. porneia
Strong's Lexicon
porneia: Sexual immorality, fornication

Original Word: πορνεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: porneia
Pronunciation: por-NAY-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (por-ni'-ah)
Definition: Sexual immorality, fornication
Meaning: fornication, whoredom; met: idolatry.

Word Origin: Derived from the Greek word "πόρνη" (pornē), meaning "prostitute" or "harlot."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with "porneia" is זָנָה (zanah), which also refers to acts of harlotry or unfaithfulness, both physically and spiritually.

Usage: In the New Testament, "porneia" is used to describe various forms of sexual immorality, including fornication, adultery, and other illicit sexual practices. It is often used in a broader sense to encompass any sexual activity outside the bounds of a biblically defined marriage between one man and one woman. The term is frequently associated with moral and spiritual unfaithfulness.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, sexual immorality was prevalent and often accepted as part of daily life, including practices such as temple prostitution and extramarital affairs. The early Christian community, however, was called to a higher standard of sexual purity, reflecting the holiness of God. The use of "porneia" in the New Testament underscores the call for believers to live counter-culturally, adhering to the moral teachings of Scripture.

HELPS Word-studies

4202 porneía (the root of the English terms "pornography, pornographic"; cf. 4205 /pórnos) which is derived from pernaō, "to sell off") – properly, a selling off (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any (every) type.

[See also the contrasting term, 3430 /moixeía ("marital unfaithfulness").]

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from porneuó
Definition
fornication
NASB Translation
fornication (4), fornications (2), immoralities (1), immorality (16), sexual immorality (1), unchastity (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4202: πορνεία

πορνεία, πορνείας, (πορνεύω), the Sept. for תַּזְנוּת, זְנוּת, זְנוּנִים, fornication (Vulg.fornicatio (and (Revelation 19:2)prostitutio)); used a. properly, of illicit sexual intercourse in general (Demosthenes, 403, 27; 433, 25): Acts 15:20, 29; Acts 21:25 (that this meaning must be adopted in these passages will surprise no one who has learned from 1 Corinthians 6:12ff how leniently converts from among the heathen regarded this vice and how lightly they indulged in it; accordingly, all other interpretations of the term, such as of marriages within the prohibited degrees and the like, are to be rejected); Romans 1:29 Rec.; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 1 Corinthians 6:13, 18; 1 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Revelation 9:21; it is distinguished from μοιχεία in Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; and Galatians 5:19 Rec.; used of adultery ((cf. Hosea 2:2 (4), etc.)), Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9.

b. In accordance with a form of speech common in the O. T. and among the Jews which represents the close relationship existing between Jehovah and his people under the figure of a marriage (cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, i., p. 422{a} following), πορνεία is used metaphorically of the worship of idols: Revelation 14:8; Revelation 17:2, 4; Revelation 18:3; Revelation 19:2; ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα (we are not of a people given to idolatry), ἕνα πατέρα ἔχομεν τόν Θεόν, John 8:41 (ἄθεος μέν ἄγονος, πολύθεος δέ ἐκ πόρνης, τυφλωττων περί τόν ἀληθῆ πατέρα καί διά τοῦτο πολλούς ἀνθ' ἑνός γονεῖς αἰνιττόμενος, Philo de mig. Abr. § 12; τέκνα πορνείας, of idolaters, Hosea 1:2; (but in John, the passage cited others understand physical descent to be spoken of (cf. Meyer))); of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols, Revelation 2:21.

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fornication.

From porneuo; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry -- fornication.

see GREEK porneuo

Forms and Transliterations
πορνεια πορνεία πορνείᾳ πορνειαι πορνείαι πορνεῖαι πορνείαις πορνειαν πορνείαν πορνειας πορνείας πορνείόν porneia porneía porneiai porneíāi porneîai porneian porneían porneias porneías
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 5:32 N-GFS
GRK: παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας ποιεῖ αὐτὴν
NAS: for [the] reason of unchastity, makes
KJV: for the cause of fornication, causeth
INT: except on account of sexual immorality causes her

Matthew 15:19 N-NFP
GRK: φόνοι μοιχεῖαι πορνεῖαι κλοπαί ψευδομαρτυρίαι
NAS: adulteries, fornications, thefts,
KJV: adulteries, fornications, thefts,
INT: murders adulteries sexual immorality thefts false witnessings

Matthew 19:9 N-DFS
GRK: μὴ ἐπὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ γαμήσῃ
NAS: except for immorality, and marries
KJV: [it be] for fornication, and
INT: except for sexual immorality and shall marry

Mark 7:21 N-NFP
GRK: κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται πορνεῖαι κλοπαί φόνοι
NAS: thoughts, fornications, thefts,
KJV: adulteries, fornications, murders,
INT: evil go forth sexual immorality thefts murders

John 8:41 N-GFS
GRK: Ἡμεῖς ἐκ πορνείας οὐ γεγεννήμεθα
NAS: to Him, We were not born of fornication; we have
KJV: born of fornication; we have one
INT: We of sexual immorality not have been born

Acts 15:20 N-GFS
GRK: καὶ τῆς πορνείας καὶ τοῦ
NAS: by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled
KJV: and [from] fornication, and
INT: and sexual immorality and that

Acts 15:29 N-GFS
GRK: πνικτῶν καὶ πορνείας ἐξ ὧν
NAS: and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep
KJV: and from fornication: from
INT: from what is strangled and from sexual immorality from which

Acts 21:25 N-AFS
GRK: πνικτὸν καὶ πορνείαν
NAS: and from what is strangled and from fornication.
KJV: from strangled, and from fornication.
INT: what is strangled and sexual immorality

1 Corinthians 5:1 N-NFS
GRK: ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία καὶ τοιαύτη
NAS: reported that there is immorality among
KJV: commonly [that there is] fornication among
INT: among you sexual immorality and such

1 Corinthians 5:1 N-NFS
GRK: καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδὲ
NAS: among you, and immorality of such a kind
KJV: and such fornication as is
INT: and such sexual immorality which not even

1 Corinthians 6:13 N-DFS
GRK: οὐ τῇ πορνείᾳ ἀλλὰ τῷ
NAS: the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
KJV: [is] not for fornication, but
INT: not for sexual immorality but for the

1 Corinthians 6:18 N-AFS
GRK: φεύγετε τὴν πορνείαν πᾶν ἁμάρτημα
NAS: Flee immorality. Every [other] sin
KJV: Flee fornication. Every sin
INT: Flee sexual immorality Every sin

1 Corinthians 7:2 N-AFP
GRK: δὲ τὰς πορνείας ἕκαστος τὴν
NAS: But because of immoralities, each man
KJV: Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let
INT: however sexual immorality each one

2 Corinthians 12:21 N-DFS
GRK: ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ
NAS: of the impurity, immorality and sensuality
KJV: and fornication and
INT: uncleanness and sexual immorality and sensuality

Galatians 5:19 N-NFS
GRK: ἅτινά ἐστιν πορνεία ἀκαθαρσία ἀσέλγεια
NAS: which are: immorality, impurity,
KJV: [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
INT: which are sexual immorality impurity sensuality

Ephesians 5:3 N-NFS
GRK: Πορνεία δὲ καὶ
NAS: But immorality or any
KJV: But fornication, and all
INT: sexual immorality hoewever and

Colossians 3:5 N-AFS
GRK: τῆς γῆς πορνείαν ἀκαθαρσίαν πάθος
NAS: body as dead to immorality, impurity,
KJV: the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
INT: the earth sexual immorality uncleanness passion

1 Thessalonians 4:3 N-GFS
GRK: ἀπὸ τῆς πορνείας
NAS: [that is], that you abstain from sexual immorality;
KJV: should abstain from fornication:
INT: from sexual immorality

Revelation 2:21 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς
NAS: to repent of her immorality.
KJV: of her fornication; and she repented
INT: of the sexual immorality of her

Revelation 9:21 N-GFS
GRK: ἐκ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῶν οὔτε
NAS: nor of their immorality nor
KJV: of their fornication, nor of
INT: of the sexual immorality of them nor

Revelation 14:8 N-GFS
GRK: θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς πεπότικεν
NAS: of the passion of her immorality.
KJV: of the wrath of her fornication.
INT: fury of the immorality of her she has given to drink

Revelation 17:2 N-GFS
GRK: οἴνου τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς
NAS: with the wine of her immorality.
KJV: the wine of her fornication.
INT: wine of the sexual immorality of her

Revelation 17:4 N-GFS
GRK: ἀκάθαρτα τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς
NAS: and of the unclean things of her immorality,
KJV: filthiness of her fornication:
INT: uncleanness of the sexual immorality of her

Revelation 18:3 N-GFS
GRK: θυμοῦ τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς πέπωκαν
NAS: of the passion of her immorality, and the kings
KJV: of her fornication, and
INT: fury of the sexual immorality of her have drunk

Revelation 19:2 N-DFS
GRK: ἐν τῇ πορνείᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ
NAS: the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED
KJV: with her fornication, and hath avenged
INT: with the sexual immorality of her and

Strong's Greek 4202
25 Occurrences


πορνείᾳ — 8 Occ.
πορνεῖαι — 2 Occ.
πορνείαν — 3 Occ.
πορνείας — 12 Occ.















4201
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